Just a quick report. I got a call from a friend working on one of the oyster farms in the Damariscotta River to tell me that a school of stripers was chasing bait all around him yesterday on the going tide. No doubt about it they are here, he is someone who knows what he is seeing. The Damariscotta is to the west of me for sure but not very far. I can’t get on the river today (meetings!) but plan to be on the Saint George tomorrow morning to confirm the fact. Let the season begin!
One thing that is always noticeable in the spring as I head in to some pond to fish or walk in the morning are the flowers that arrive in the woods before the leaves are out on the trees. There are a number of small flowers that bloom on the forest floor that are hardly even noticeable during the rest of the year. For instance we have Trillium in several areas around the house and in the nearby woods most of the year they do not generate a second look. But right now they are in full bloom and pretty showy.
It has been incredible to watch the leaves come out over the last few days. On Friday the beech trees had only buds and by Saturday morning leaves of about two inches long. Other species of trees are popping out just as quickly today. I suppose that this relatively warm dry spring makes all of the difference. In a couple of weeks we will have all of our leaves for summer. The tulips in the garden are in full bloom and the dandelions are starting to bloom in the hayfield across the street. It is hard to be sure but when I look back on last spring all I can remember is cold and rain.
